Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Archie's Picks: Sharapova-Lisicki

Archie can't help but love the grittiness of Maria Sharapova. That's why he's picking her against Wildcard Sabine Lisicki in the semis.

As you know, Archie is a big fan of the underdog, but what you may not know is that Archie has had a crush on Maria Sharapova ever since he was a puppy. The first time he heard her shriek in terror while hitting a tennis ball he turned his head to watch, and he has been captivated ever since.

Without any further ado, here is Archie's pick for the Sharapova-Lisicki semi-final

Why: This is one of those throw out the numbers matches, in my opinion. Sometimes you just have the feeling that something magical is taking place in a Grand Slam tournament, and that magical thing right now is named Sabine. I'll be the first to admit that I was highly skeptical regarding Lisicki's long term potential after her catastrophic loss to Vera Zvonareva at the French Open. To me that match was a clear indication that Lisicki didn't have what it took to take her blossoming game to the elite level.

Boy, was I wrong. All she's done is win 11 consecutive matches since then, becoming only the second Wildcard in the history of the wimbledon to make the semis.

Tomorrow, she'll seek to become the first Wildcard finalist, and while I think that this should be Maria's match -- she's more accomplished, more experienced, tougher, and better from the baseline -- something is telling me that the magic will once again be with Lisicki.

This one should have the Centre Court crowd gasping for air. Both players are extremely endearing in their own way, and both are sure to make this a memorable affair.